Texas advisory committee moves to tighten standards for training coordinators, creates subcommittee to draft required course

A Texas Commission on Law Enforcement advisory committee voted Monday to delineate higher minimum standards for people who serve as training coordinators over licensing courses such as the Basic Peace Officer Course and to require background screening and a mandatory training coordinator course for appointment.

The action came after hours of debate over whether the state should require training coordinators to meet the same eligibility criteria as peace-officer licensees, how to treat civilian coordinators, and what continuing education should be required. "We were deliberate in not only who to sit on the committee, but what you represent," Director Steven(s) said, explaining the commission's intent to use advisory committees to develop model policies for statewide rulemaking.

The committee's vote approving the motion to separate standards was followed by another vote to create a small subcommittee charged with drafting the required training course and lesson plan. "We're going to take what you all do and go down the road to improve training," Scott Donaldson, the committee's presiding officer and director, said during the meeting.

Why it matters: the committee is drafting recommended changes that, if forwarded to and adopted by the commission, would change who can serve as the named training coordinator for academies and contract training providers across Texas. Training coordinators are the named points of contact TCOLE uses to monitor academy compliance, maintain student records and rosters, and report licensing outcomes; the committee said those responsibilities have carried legal and operational obligations that…